Fernanda Sliva-Alvim

Fernanda Silva-Alvim Profile Picture

PhD Student in Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences

I graduated in Food Engineering and did a Master’s in Agroenergy on optimising starch hydrolysis and fermentation in bio-fuel manufacturing., both at Federal University of Tocantins/Brazil. I worked at the University of Leeds as a visiting student where I developed necessary skills, and also to publish a first author in a well-recognized journal. I started my PhD in October 2018 at the University of Glasgow/UK after been grated with a LKAS scholarship.

Photosynthetic plants can use different metabolism to produce sugars. The most common is C3 and is not as efficient as C4. Currently, there is no directly and effective way to measure CO2 concentration within plant leaves. My thesis aims to use a multidisciplinary approach to studdy the viability of nanoparticles combined with modern microscopy techniques to measure CO2 captured by leaves. Also, using close related species to identify differences between guard cells (kinetics and mechanics) in C3 and C4 plants. The results could change the field perspective about CO2 fixation.

Supervisors: Professor Michael Blatt (Principal); Professor Andrew Harvey; and Professor Serena Corr (University of Sheffield)

Contact Details

Email: f.alvim.1@research.gla.ac.uk

Institute of Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology,
Bower Building,
University of Glasgow,
Glasgow, UK
G12 8QQ

Research interests

Photosynthesis; ion transport and electrophysiology; membrane protein trafficking; Nanoparticles, chemical sensor, imaging and optical measurement techniques.

Other interests

Travelling, hiking, fitness, books, movies, music, theatre, and beauty care.